‘Shocking’ warning over RSPCA microchip survey

Cost concerns and a lack of public awareness are undermining the effectiveness of legal requirements for cat microchipping in England, a major charity has warned.

More than one in 10 participants in a newly reported RSPCA survey claimed to be unaware of the rules, and more than one-third said cost was a major barrier to compliance – while one-in-six blamed a lack of available vet appointments.

Officials described the findings as “shocking” as they made a fresh plea for owners to seek help if they needed it. But the charity also acknowledged that professional stakeholders – including themselves – needed to do more to address the problem, too.

Raise awareness

The group said: “We believe the UK Government and charities like ourselves need to continue to raise awareness to protect cat welfare.”

Formal legal requirements for all owned cats that are at least 20 weeks old to be microchipped came into force in England last June.

But the findings of polling released on 27 January and carried out through RSPCA social media channels in December – a full six months after the rules came into force – found 11% of respondents were still unaware of the law.

Main barriers

Meanwhile, 36% identified the cost of having a chip fitted as one of the main barriers to having the procedure completed.

The latter figure is much higher than the 11% who said they could not afford to have their cat chipped in Cats Protection’s “Cats and Their Stats” document released in the autumn.

While only 8% of respondents to that survey reported not being aware of the rules, the report still estimated that as many as 2.3 million cats are currently unchipped.

Non-compliance

With a maximum fine of £500, the RSPCA said non-compliance could be hundreds of pounds more expensive than the cost of having a cat chipped, while practice health plans and charitable services can also assist owners.

RSPCA cat welfare expert Alice Potter said: “We understand that the cost of microchipping can sometimes be a barrier – especially during the cost of living crisis – but we’d urge owners to reach out and see what help is available to them.”

The charity also suggested individual veterinary practices could do more to reach the owners of unchipped cats who do not make regular visits, through initiatives such as local promotional campaigns and community outreach work.

Non-compliance

A lack of vets or veterinary appointment capacity was cited as a reason for non-compliance by 17% of participants, while a slightly higher proportion (21%) said they did not believe they needed a chip for an indoor cat.

England is currently the only UK nation with compulsory microchipping requirements for cats and, although owners in other nations have been encouraged to chip their pets, several welfare groups have called for the UK’s devolved administrations to follow Westminster’s lead.

But the RSPCA has also called for the UK Government to work with the devolved Scottish and Welsh administrations to develop a single point of entry for microchip databases, because of concerns about the lack of efficiency in the present system potentially being an obstacle to the introduction of new regulations outside England.

Officials said the charity plans to highlight the issue in its manifesto ahead of next year’s Senedd elections.